What is an affirmation?

1. The act of affirming or the state of being affirmed; assertion.

2. Something declared to be true; a positive statement or judgment.

Affirmations are what we say to ourselves every day, throughout the day. If we say we are strong and confident, we tend to be just that. If we tell ourselves, “I will never get ahead.” Guess what? We are right.

Many successful people have used affirmations to help overcome their fears and to position themselves for success. More than 20 years ago, when I was in a car accident, I used positive affirmations, along with physical therapy, to help me work through months of severe whiplash and physical discomfort.

I used positive affirmations when I changed my 20-year administrative career to that of a professional speaker and business owner. They really helped me stay committed those first few years when I had many doubts.

Affirmations are thoughts in our mind—what we say to ourselves and they are extremely powerful. We want to use them in a way that works for us, not against us. Affirmations are especially powerful when we repeated them over and over.

Beware of the little voice.

The little voice works against the positive affirmation. It tells us the opposite. For example, when I started professional speaking and I would meet people, they would ask me what I did for a living. I would say, “I’m a professional speaker.” Because I was so new in this profession, my little voice would say, “No you’re not. You don’t even know what you are doing.” This happened a few more times until I became confident in my new career and I never heard from my little voice again. (Note, the little voice wants to keep you from living a BIG life.)

be said in the present tense. Instead of saying, “Someday I will be physically fit,” you would say, “I am healthy and strong.”

be simple and easy to remember.

What you should do is look at each of the 5 Pillars of Life (Career, Family, Financial, Spiritual and Wellness) and write one or two affirmations for each Pillar. For example: “I am debt free.” Or, “I have a loving and caring family.” “I have a vibrant career where I grow each and every day.” Get the idea?

I wrote 30 affirmations for my book, Give Yourself Permission to Live a BIG Life. I’d like to share them with you and hope that you will post them in a place where you can read them every day. We have provided a nice visual you can print. Please share this with all the people you care about so they may experience the power of positive affirmations.

I am FEARLESS

I am VIGILANT

I am STRONG

I am SMART

I am CAPABLE

I am CREATIVE

I am TALENTED

I am VICTORIOUS

I am CONFIDENT

I am ANOINTED

I am BEAUTIFUL

I am DETERMINED

I am ENERGY

I am RESILIENT

I am HEALTHY

I am HOPEFUL

I am HAPPY

I am PATIENT

I am COLORFUL

I am THANKFUL

I am ADVENTUROUS

I am GRATEFUL

I am FLEXIBLE

I am COMMITTED

I am BOLD

I am ADAPTABLE

I am COURAGEOUS

I am SKILLED

I am FORGIVING

I am ME!

I want to affirm that 2014 will be an amazing, awesome, fruitful year for you and your family. I want to affirm happiness, good health and joy in all you do.